Burned In Midair

The Hcrald rccently contained a dispatoh from Berlín glving in brief the uewa of the untimely death of Dr. Wolfert, the distinguished aeronaut. At the momont when the doctor seemed about to realize the dream of his life, death overtook him, and In a few secOi'Cis he and hls prized balloon were burned to einders. Dr. Wolfert got into the balloon a few minutes after seven o'clock in the evening, being accompanied by Robert Knabe, a young mechanician. The crowd, among whirh were several army officers, wished them good luck and then silently watched the cigar-shaped ship as it slowly mounted skyward. Excellently it seemed to move, and even those who were not experts saw that the screw was werking splendidly and that the craft was heading for the northwest. For five minutes the watchers looked up admiringly, and then their admiration was suddenly changed to horror. Forth from the car of the balloon flashed a tong je of yellow fiame; then a second later was heard a crash like a cannon shot, and at the same moment the entire balloon was enveloped in a mass of fire. Down the blazing machine feil with amazing swiftness, reaching at last the Ringbahnstrasse. A horrible slght it was, and, as thehundreds of onlcokers rushed toward it, they found it still smoking and prac. tically destroyed. In the ruins lay the bodiers of Wolfert and Knabe. They were burned so badly it was impossible to recognizo them.